Source:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s03e140-spacex-s-latest-challenges-electric-field-milestone-and-xb-1-s-triumph--61195852
Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: 29th August 2024
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast where we explore the latest in space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna. Today we have a fantastic lineup of stories that will take you from the high stakes of space travel to fascinating new scientific discoveries. From SpaceX facing challenges with their Falcon 9 rocket, to scientists measuring a planet-wide electric field for the first time ever, we have so much to explore. We'll also delve into Boom Supersonic's second test flight of their XB-1 aircraft, and wrap up with a look at the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of an ultra-hot, Saturn-like exoplanet. So grab your telescopes and let's dive in.
Highlights:
- SpaceX Falcon 9 Grounded: The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket following a failed booster landing. The booster, serial number B1062, was consumed in a dramatic fireball on the deck of the drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas." This incident occurred at the tail end of its record-setting 23rd flight. An investigation has been mandated to thoroughly understand the root cause of the mishap.
- Polaris Dawn Mission Delays: The Polaris Dawn astronaut mission has been delayed twice in the same week due to a helium leak and recovery weather concerns. The crew remains in quarantine, awaiting clearance for their next launch attempt. Timing for the launch remains uncertain due to the ongoing FAA investigation and other logistical challenges.
- Planet-Wide Electric Field Measured: For the first time in history, scientists have successfully measured a planet-wide electric field known as the ambipolar electric field using NASA's Endurance mission. This breakthrough plays a crucial role in atmospheric escape and shapes our ionosphere, offering new insights into planetary atmospheres beyond Earth.
- Boom Supersonic's XB-1 Test Flight: Boom Supersonic's XB-1 aircraft successfully completed its second test flight, reaching an altitude of 10,400 ft and achieving a speed of 277 mph. This flight demonstrated the retraction and extension of landing gear for the first time and tested a new digital stability augmentation system.
- Water Vapor on Ultra-Hot Exoplanet: Researchers have detected water vapor in the atmosphere of HD 149026 b, an ultra-hot Saturn-like exoplanet located approximately 250 light years away. This discovery was made using transmission spectroscopy and provides valuable insights into the characteristics and composition of exoplanetary atmospheres.
For more exciting content, be sure to visit our website at https://www.astronomydaily.io. There you can catch up on the latest space and Astronomy news with our constantly updating newsfeed. You can also sign up for our free Daily newsletter so you never miss a beat in the cosmos.
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily the podcast
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 where we explore the latest in space and
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 astronomy news I'm your host Anna today
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 we have a fantastic lineup of stories
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 that will take you from the high stakes
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 of space travel to fascinating new
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 scientific discoveries from SpaceX
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 facing challenges with their Falcon 9
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 rocket to scientists measuring a planet
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 wide electric field for the first time
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 ever we have so much to explore we'll
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 also delve into boom supersonic second
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 test flight of their xv1 aircraft and
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 wrap up with a look at the detection of
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 water vapor in the atmosphere of an
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 ultra hot saturn-like exoplanet so grab
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 your telescopes and let's dive in first
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 up today the Federal Aviation
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 Administration has grounded spacex's
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 Falcon 9 rocket following a failed
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 booster Landing marking the second
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 mishap in less than 2 months the booster
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 in question serial number
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 b162 was consumed in a dramatic Fireball
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 on the deck of the Drone ship a
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Atlantic Ocean this incident occurred at
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 the tail end of its record setting 23rd
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 flight after having successfully
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 launched a batch of starlink satellites
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 in a statement the FAA emphasized that
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 while no injuries or public property
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 damage were reported an investigation
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 has been mandated to thoroughly
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 understand the root cause of the mishap
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 this grounding follows a similar stance
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 taken by the FAA after a falcon 9 upper
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 stage failure on July 12th during the
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 starlink 93 Mission which led to the
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 loss of 20 satellites SpaceX Rockets
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 only resumed flights on July 27th for
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 the starlink 109 Mission despite the
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 setback SpaceX remains steadfast in its
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 commitment to resolving the issue John
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 Edwards the SpaceX vice president of
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 Falcon launch Vehicles highlighted on
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 social media that while unfortunate the
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 event posed no threat to the primary
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 Mission or Public Safety he assured that
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 the team is working diligently to
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 identify the root cause and Implement
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 corrective actions as soon as possible
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 similarly Kiko donev another
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 high-ranking SpaceX official stressed
00:02:05 --> 00:02:06 that the lessons learned from these
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 recovery failures will not only enhance
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 recovery reliability but improve Ascent
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 reliability as well this incident
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 coincides with a challenging period for
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 SpaceX which had to delay the polaron
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 astronaut Mission twice in the same week
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 due to a helium leak and Recovery
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 weather concerns the Polaris Dawn crew
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 remains in quarantine awaiting clearance
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 for their next launch attempt timing for
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 the Polaris Dawn launch remains
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 uncertain largely due to the ongoing FAA
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 investigation Landing weather and
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 Launchpad availability the mission is
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 set to take off from launch complex 39a
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 at Kennedy Space Center which also needs
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 to be prepared for NASA's Europa Clipper
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 Mission with a launch window opening on
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 October 10th complicating matters
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 further space launch complex 40 at Cape
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 Canaveral is already booked for NASA's
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 crew 9 mission to the International
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 Space Station penciled in for no earlier
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 than September 24th ultimately the date
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 for for Polaris Dawn will depend on how
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 quickly SpaceX can satisfy the faa's
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 requirements and how Cooperative the
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 weather will be it's a Race Against Time
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 for the SpaceX team who continue to
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 epitomize perseverance and adaptation in
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 the Relentless world of space
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 exploration next for the first time in
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 history scientists have successfully
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 measured a planet-wide electric field
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 known as the ambipolar electric field
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 using NASA's endurance Mission this
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 breakthrough field plays a crucial role
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 in atmospheric Escape sh Shing our
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 ionosphere and it opens new doors for
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 understanding planetary atmospheres not
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 just on Earth but also Beyond let's dive
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 into the discovery the ambipolar
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 electric field was first hypothesized
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 over six decades ago it was believed to
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 drive how Earth's atmosphere escapes
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 above the North and South Poles however
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 actually measuring it remained a
00:03:49 --> 00:03:53 challenge until now utilizing data from
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 NASA's endurance Mission an
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 international team of scientists has
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 confirmed the existence of this field
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 and even Quantified its strength the
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 ambipolar electric field is subtle yet
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 potent despite being weak about 0.55
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 volts roughly equivalent to a small
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 watch battery it draws particles from
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 the atmosphere into space this
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 phenomenon has been termed the polar
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 wind for years scientists noticed a
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 stream of particles escaping from
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 Earth's poles but couldn't precisely
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 explain why many were cool yet moving at
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 supersonic speeds Glenn Collinson the
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 principal investigator of the endurance
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 Mission noted that this minuscule
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 electric field exerts a force 10 times
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 stronger than gravity on hydrogen ions
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 which are the most abundant particles in
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 the polar wind to carry out their
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 observations the endurance team chose an
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 ideal location spard in the Norwegian
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 Arctic home to the northernmost rocket
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 range on May 11th 2022 they launched
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 their rocket reaching an altitude of 477
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 Mi during its short-lived flight the
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 endurance made groundbreaking
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 measurements unearth a mere 0.55 volts
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 change in electric potential across 322
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Mi of altitude though minuscule this
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 measurement has vast implications the
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 significance of the results can't be
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 overstated this electric field can
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 Elevate particles essentially acting as
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 a conveyor belt lifting the atmosphere
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 into space the research team found that
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 the ambipolar field increases the
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 ionosphere scale height by
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 271 allowing it to remain denser at
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 higher altitudes the implications extend
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 far beyond Earth since the ambipolar
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 field is generated by the internal
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 dynamics of an atmosphere it's expected
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 to exist on other planets such as Venus
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 and Mars this discovery offers a new
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 lens through which to explore the
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 evolution of planetary atmospheres and
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 even assess the habitability of other
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 worlds the study published in the
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 prestigious journal Nature marks a
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 significant milestone in our
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 understanding of planetary atmospheres
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 with this knowledge scientists can now
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 begin to unravel The Field's role and
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 how it's been shaping our planet and
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 potentially others over time that's a
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 wrap on this fast F inting breakthrough
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 in atmospheric science stick around as
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 we delve into more groundbreaking
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 discoveries here on astronomy daily boom
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 SuperSonics xb1 aircraft successfully
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 completed its second test flight from
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 the Mojave air and Spaceport this flight
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 lasting about 15 minutes saw the xb1
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 reaching an altitude of 10 ft and
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 achieving a speed of 277 mph
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 impressively this flight demonstrated
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 the retraction and extension of landing
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 gear for the first time along with test
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 ing a new digital stability augmentation
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 system designed to enhance handling
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 Blake schaw founder and CEO of Boom
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 supersonic shared his excitement by
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 saying xb1 had a fantastic second flight
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 this morning initial results indicate
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 we've successfully resolved the findings
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 from flight one and are excited to
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 continue flight testing on the path to
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 supersonic flight this Milestone marks
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 another significant step towards the
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 return of SuperSonic passenger travel a
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 goal that boom supersonic is inching
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 closer to with each successful test the
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 xv1 test plane had its maen flight
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 earlier in March of this year now boom
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 supersonic is looking to ramp up its
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 flight rate with around 10 more tests
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 planned before attempting supersonic
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 speeds each test brings the company
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 closer to achieving its ambitious
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 objectives of revolutionizing air travel
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 making it faster and more efficient the
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 xb1 program is part of the broader
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 design and development process for
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 boom's Flagship project Overture a
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 planned supersonic airliner boom
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 supersonic envisions a future where
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 supersonic travel redefines the pace of
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 global air travel cutting down travel
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 time significantly this recent test
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 flight underscores their commitment to
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 bringing that Vision to Life One flight
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 at a time as the team at boom supersonic
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 continues to push the bounds of aviation
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 technology the promise of SuperSonic
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 passenger travel edges closer to
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 becoming a reality holding the potential
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 to transform the way we think about air
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 travel in the not so distant future next
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 up yet another exciting Discovery
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 involving water research have detected
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 water vapor in the atmosphere of hd4
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 926b an ultra hot saturn-like exoplanet
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 located approximately 250 light years
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 away in the constellation of Hercules
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 this exoplanet which is similar in size
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 to Saturn has an extremely close orbit
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 to its host star nearly 10 times closer
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 than Mercury's orbit around the Sun as a
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 result it completes a full orbit in just
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 about 2.9 days leading to surface
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 temperatures soaring above 1700 Kelvin
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 hot enough to melt even the strongest
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 steel the discovery of water vapor was
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 made using a technique called
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 transmission spectroscopy this method
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 involves observing the planet as it
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 transits or passes in front of its host
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 star from our perspective on earth when
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 this happens some of the Stars light
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 filters through the planet's atmosphere
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 the gases in the atmosphere absorb
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 specific wavelengths of light creating a
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 unique absorption Spectrum which can be
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 detected and analyzed one of the major
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 challenges in observing the atmosphere
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 of such exoplanets lies in the high
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 contrast between the bright star and the
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 dim Planet this high contrast often
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 means that the planetary atmospheric
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 signatures are exceedingly faint and can
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 be easily lost in the Stellar Photon
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 noise however the extreme temperatures
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 and close proximity of HD 14926 B to its
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 host star made the atmospheric detection
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 somewhat easier albeit still a
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 significant challenge the strength of
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 these atmospheric signatures would be
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 stronger for hotter planets as their
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 atmospheres are more extended and their
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 for more detectable despite the inherent
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 difficulties the researchers were able
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 to separate the planetary absorption
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 Spectrum from the Stellar Spectrum by
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 analyzing the light before and during
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 the transit this allowed them to
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 identify and confirm the presence of
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 water vapor in the planet's atmosphere
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 this discovery provides valuable
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 insights into the characteristics and
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 composition of exoplanetary atmospheres
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 shedding light on the complex processes
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 occurring in these Distant Worlds
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 research like this not only deepen our
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 understanding of exoplanets but also
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 helps us piece together the vast
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 diversity of planetary systems beyond
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 our own thank you for tuning in
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 astronomy daily I'm your host Anna for
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